The Ice Tower scoops the Narcisse for Best Film at the NIFFF
- The International Competition jury fell under the spell of Lucile Hadžihalilovic’s film, which bagged two prizes: the Narcisse for Best Film and the Imaging the Future trophy
The 24th edition of the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) dazzled with its open-air set-up, its enthusiastic talks, its intriguing performances and its fascinating exhibitions. Over the course of nine days, viewers (66,000 in total, according to initial estimations) got to travel through imaginary worlds put forth through a vast cinematographic panorama composed of 127 works hailing from 42 countries. By way of this brilliant and razor-sharp selection, the festival painted the portrait of a kind of genre cinema whose edges are intentionally blurry and which doesn’t seem to have any limits in terms of its rich variety of styles and subjects explored.
This year’s winners, who reflect this eclecticism and defiance of limits, include the dazzlingly mysterious and powerful movie The Ice Tower [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lucile Hadžihalilović
film profile] by French director Lucile Hadžihalilovic. The film was previously selected in Berlin’s official competition where it scooped the Silver Bear for Best Artistic Contribution. A modern fairy tale filled with longing and carried by lead actresses Clara Pacini and Marion Cotillard, The Ice Tower won over the International Competition jury composed of US illustrator Emil Ferris, French writers Hélène Frappat and Jean-Baptiste Del Amo, Taiwanese director John Hsu and Belgian stylist and artistic director Olivier Theyskens, who rewarded the work with two trophies: the Narcisse for Best First Film and the Imaging the Future Prize for Best Production Design. The Special Mention was also won by a French woman director, Julia Kowalski, for Her Will Be Done [+see also:
film review
interview: Julia Kowalski
film profile], which is an emancipatory tale set against a backdrop of witchcraft and beliefs hailing from a rural world laden with taboos. Meanwhile, the queer and feminist re-reading of Cinderella called The Ugly Stepsister [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt, bagged the Silver Meliès for Best European Fantastic Feature Film.
The audience, for their part, decided to award the RTS Audience Prize (International Competition) to U Are the Universe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pavlo Ostrikov
film profile], a first feature film by Ukraine’s Pavlo Ostrikov which is a delicate and moving sci-fi film which successfully won over those present in the auditorium. The movie also walked away with the Youth Prize.
The international critics jury, composed of Canadian journalist Ben Croll and the two French journalists Camille Regache and Margaux Baralon was bowled over by Honey Bunch, Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli’s second feature film which tells the horrific story of a mysterious doctor who seems capable of curing wounds of the body and soul. The Audience Award for Best Fantastic Film in the Asian Competition, meanwhile, went to Rewrite by Japan’s Daigo Matsui, offering up a sci-fi romance between two teens who live in different space-time continuums, while the HR Giger Narcisse for Best Swiss Short Film was nabbed by Frederic Siegel’s animated movie TV Or The Disturbance On Forest Hill Road.
The winners are as follows:
International Competition
HR Giger Narcisse Award for Best Film
The Ice Tower [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lucile Hadžihalilović
film profile] - Lucile Hadžihalilovic (France/Germany/Italy)
Special Mention
Her Will Be Done [+see also:
film review
interview: Julia Kowalski
film profile] - Julia Kowalski (France/Poland)
Silver Méliès for Best European Fantastic Feature Film
The Ugly Stepsister [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Emilie Blichfeldt (Norway/Sweden/Poland/Denmark/Romania)
Imaging the Future Prize for Best Production Design
The Ice Tower - Lucile Hadžihalilovic
Denis-De-Rougemont Youth Prize
U Are the Universe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pavlo Ostrikov
film profile] - Pavlo Ostrikov (Ukraine/Belgium)
RTS Audience Award
U Are the Universe - Pavlo Ostrikov
NIFFF International Critics’ Award
Honey Bunch - Madeleine Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli (Canada/UK)
New Cinema from Asia Competition
Audience Award for Best Asian Film
Rewrite - Daigo Matsui (Japan)
Short Film Competition
HR Giger Narcisse Award for Best Swiss Short Film
TV Or The Disturbance On Forest Hill Road – Frederic Siegel (Switzerland)
Silver Méliès for Best European Fantastic Short Film
Stomach Bug - Matty Crawford (UK)
Youth Prize for Best Short Film
The Eggregores’ Theory - Andrea Gatopoulos (Italy)
Audience Award for Best Short Film
Playing God - Matteo Burani (France/Italie)
(Translated from French)
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